{"product_id":"van-houtte-pair-carnivorous-pitcher-plant-c1850","title":"Van Houtte — Pair of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant c.1850","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVan Houtte — Pair of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant c.1850\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA matched pair of Van Houtte chromolithographs depicting Nepenthes pitcher plants — the carnivorous plants whose exotic beauty captivated Victorian collectors and whose subject matter remains one of the most commercially desirable niches in botanical art today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy Buy as a Pair\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarnivorous plant prints have a dedicated contemporary collector base — millennial plant enthusiasts, interior designers focused on botanical maximalism, and collectors of Victorian scientific exotica all prize these subjects. A matched pair maximizes decorative impact and signals the authenticity of hand-finished Ghent-origin chromolithography.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAbout Louis Van Houtte (1810–1876)\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLouis Van Houtte was a Belgian horticulturist, plant collector, and publisher based in Ghent. He was one of the 19th century's most influential figures in commercial horticulture, introducing thousands of new plant species to European gardens and nurseries through his illustrated periodical publications and his Ghent nursery, which supplied plants to royalty and major botanical gardens across Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Work\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFlore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe\u003c\/em\u003e was published by Van Houtte from 1845 to 1880 in 23 volumes containing over 2,400 hand-finished chromolithographs. The publication documented exotic and newly introduced plants — including the Victorian carnivorous-plant craze of the 1840s and 1850s — with lithographs from the Ghent firm distinguished by their rich coloring, botanical accuracy, and decorative composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eScarcity \u0026amp; Market Context\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eComplete \u003cem\u003eFlore des Serres\u003c\/em\u003e sets sell for $10,000–$25,000 at auction when they appear. Individual plates are available from specialist dealers, but carnivorous plant subjects (pitcher plants, sundews, Venus flytraps) are particularly prized by both plant collectors and interior designers, often commanding 2–3× the price of standard botanical subjects. Matched pairs are scarce in the marketplace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eInstitutional Holdings\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstitutional holdings at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDimensions\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach sheet approximately 10 × 7 inches\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrame:\u003c\/strong\u003e This piece ships \u003cstrong\u003eunframed\u003c\/strong\u003e — the sheet or plate only. We can recommend framers in your area or ship to your preferred framer. Professional framing with archival materials typically runs $150–$400 depending on size and finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eShipping Terms\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping costs vary by product, packaging requirements, destination, carrier, and insurance value.\u003c\/strong\u003e We do not use flat-rate shipping because antique prints, maps, paintings, and books each require different packing — some ship flat between archival boards, some ship rolled, some require custom-built crates with shock absorption, and framed pieces need extra protection for glass and corners.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow our shipping process works:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou place your order (shipping is calculated as $0 at checkout)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe prepare a custom shipping quote for your destination — typically within 24 hours\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe contact you to confirm carrier options (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL), insurance value, and delivery timeline\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnce you approve the shipping quote, we send a separate invoice for shipping\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe pack with archival-grade materials and insure at full value\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuestions on shipping before you buy? Contact us with your zip code (or international address) and we'll provide a quote before you commit to purchase.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eImportant Buyer Notice\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese pieces are \u003cstrong\u003eantique originals\u003c\/strong\u003e, ranging from approximately 100 to over 400 years old. Each piece will show varying degrees of age-appropriate condition: paper toning, foxing, edge wear, fold marks, minor restoration, light staining, and other natural signs of age are common and expected for works of this period. Condition varies from piece to piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt is the buyer's responsibility to confirm that the piece is in the condition they require before purchase.\u003c\/strong\u003e We are always happy to answer any questions about the state of the work, provide additional photographs of specific areas, describe any flaws or repairs in detail, or arrange a video review before you buy. Please contact us at any time with questions — we believe an informed buyer is the best customer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll pieces are guaranteed \u003cstrong\u003eauthentic originals\u003c\/strong\u003e (not reproductions, facsimiles, or modern prints). We offer a full refund if authenticity is ever disputed by a qualified third party.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\/\",\"@type\":\"VisualArtwork\",\"name\":\"Van Houtte — Pair of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant c.1850\",\"sku\":\"EC-VHT-PAIR\",\"productID\":\"EC-VHT-PAIR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eldrickco.com\/products\/van-houtte-pair-carnivorous-pitcher-plant-c1850\",\"creator\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Louis Van Houtte\",\"birthDate\":\"1810\",\"deathDate\":\"1876\",\"nationality\":\"Belgian\"},\"artist\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Louis Van Houtte\",\"birthDate\":\"1810\",\"deathDate\":\"1876\",\"nationality\":\"Belgian\"},\"dateCreated\":\"1850\",\"description\":\"Van Houtte — Pair of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant c.1850. Original antique print from c.1850. 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